Saw the Lucius Beebe thread and thought that maybe there ought to be a standard reading list, or viewing list, of material to help anyone become a railfan. Um, I mean, versed in railroading.
This might be good for teens and 20-somethings who are unconnected to railroading's history, new hires to the industry, or significant others of railfans who don't "get it."
Thoughts? Maybe we can post such a list up on the website with links as appropriate.
-Steve
Steve SweeneyDigital Editor, Hobby
Steve Sweeney Saw the Lucius Beebe thread and thought that maybe there ought to be a standard reading list, or viewing list, of material to help anyone become a railfan. Um, I mean, versed in railroading. This might be good for teens and 20-somethings who are unconnected to railroading's history, new hires to the industry, or significant others of railfans who don't "get it." Thoughts? Maybe we can post such a list up on the website with links as appropriate. -Steve
IMHO. A pretty good place to start ! and as an extra thought; not all libraries are repositories for books specifically' railroad', but many Public Library Systems maintain an Inter-Library Loan System that can bring books to a local library from distant locations( as, and if that volume is available, and not then currently on loan).
The American Heritage book, Railroads in the Days of Steam, would be a good start for RR's up to 1960.
In my opinion, anyone actually interested in railroading as a potential career should start with something like John Armstrong's The Railroad: What It Is, What It Does.
We've had a couple of threads over the years on this subject, with some interesting suggestions on a 'canon' for different sets of interests.
Overmod In my opinion, anyone actually interested in railroading as a potential career should start with something like John Armstrong's The Railroad: What It Is, What It Does. We've had a couple of threads over the years on this subject, with some interesting suggestions on a 'canon' for different sets of interests. [emphasis added - PDN]
We've had a couple of threads over the years on this subject, with some interesting suggestions on a 'canon' for different sets of interests. [emphasis added - PDN]
Also, the "ABC's of Railroading" series and "History" articles here are quite good for this purpose.
http://trn.trains.com/railroads/abcs-of-railroading
http://trn.trains.com/railroads/railroad-history#1
- Paul North.
A suggested reading list would certainly be a good idea - and perhaps a novel one for some of our younger folk for whom books are not common fare.
Along the line of general/historical knowledge, though was a popular thread from a few years ago. A young lady named Nora started it. It ran for quite a while and was quite popular.
The title of the thread was "Nora's Stupid Question Thread." But there were no stupid questions.
The best part of the thread was that no one came into the thread telling Nora (or anyone else) that they were stupid for not having searched/researched/etc. The questions, always asked politely, were answered politely as well.
While she didn't make the cut as a conductor (we were all cheering her on), I think she's still working for a Class 1.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
NS dispatcher, if I'm not mistaken.I remember having to show her a searchlight signal actually changing when a train went through (we were checking out BNSF...the signals are gone now).On the subject of books, Kalmbach Publishing (remember them?) used to have a "railroad reference series" that included a lot of informative titles on railroad history, motive power (including roster books), railroad radio frequencies, and so on. Photo books by the late Don Ball, if they're still available, are good historical references now. The suggestion of The Railroad: What it is, What it Does is the best book imaginable to teach a newcomer about railroads. If the audience is a little younger, Bill Vantuono's book on railroads will work for kids through at least middle school. SPV's railroad atlases are still available out there (I saw the whole series offered for sale at the train show in Milwaukee last month), and would be useful in terms of railroad history, such as what's out there now, what used to be there, old names for the current lines, lots of reminiscences.From there, individuals should be able to go to something more specific in which they're interested (the history of the local railroad, for example, or histories of motive power [or freight equipment... ], local or state histories with a railroad emphasis, stuff like that). And, of course, a few good current magazines.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
"The Decade of The Trains the 1940s" by Don Ball and "E.M.Frimbo". Lot's of photos and great essays on railroading during the golden age. A good start for anyone. Also anything by Beebe and Clegg.
Most railroads of any size have at least one history book devoted to that line, often more than one. (Heck on some railroads there are major books about a particular subdivision!). Some are corporate histories often more or less "authorized/sanitized biographies." So not everybody might want to read the same book, but a list of the good ones for each railroad could readily be created. When the late George Drury, long time Kalmbach librarian visited my home for a night of slides he noted with approval that even though I am a C&NW fan, my shelves had Main Line of Mid-America by Carlton Corliss (1950; Illinois Central); The Katy Railroad and the Last Frontier by V.V. Masterson (1952), and Steel Trails to Santa Fe by L L Waters (1950), all of which he regarded as good basic and fairly academic/accurate railroad histories.
Then there are books more aimed at a general flavor of the industry. Older classics in that category include the books by S Kip Farrington, too many to list here but all worth seeking out. Books by Robert Selph Henry might also be mentioned here; some of them were aimed at the juvenile market when published.
Then there are books which are pretty comprehensive for specialized topics such as Brian Solomon's "Railroad Signaling" and I keep a copy of Kalmbach's reprint of John Armstrong's "All About Signals" inside my copy of Solomon's book.
That really just scratches the surface but this is an interesting topic and perhaps when others have weighed in we will have a pretty good bibliography here. When all the (coal) smoke has cleared perhaps the "essential" book will turn out to be something along the lines of David P Morgan's The Mohawk that Refused to Abdicate. That would probably be on my proverbial desert island list of rail books.
Dave Nelson
The link is a review of a book on the building of the B&O - the 1st 25 years in going from Baltimore to the Ohio at Wheeling, VA (WV didn't come about until the Civil War). The book is illuminating to all the obsticals that had to be overcome - technological, political, organizational and terrain.
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1994-03-28/news/1994087145_1_baltimore-and-ohio-ohio-railroad-dilts
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Required railroad reading? Oh, so much to choose from!
As I've been a student of history my whole life the historic aspects of railroadin have the most interest to me, and hey, you can't know where you're going unless you know where you've been, right?
So, for required reading here's the ol' Firelocks list. This is going to be an extensive post, so if you want to go get a snack or a hot cuppa coffee go head, I'll wait.
You're back? Good! Now, before we get started let me say many of these books are out of print, although some are available as reprints. I'll add the original publish date in parentheses plus an (R) if it's been reprinted at some time. To find some you'll have to beat the bushes at train shows and used book dealers but from what I've seen the availability is actually pretty good. Besides, the thrill of the hunt's half the fun!
The history of the olden times...
"The American Railway" (1889). An anthology of articles by leading railroad professionals of the time like H.M. Forney, Generals Horace Porter and E.P. Alexander and others. A great snapshot of railroading as the 19th Century was coming to a close and the 20th was coming over the horizon. (R)
"The Story Of American Railroads" (1947) by Stewart Holbrook. History and railroad lore, plus the author's own railroad experiences as a boy growing up in Maine's Skowhegan Woods.
"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (1942), by Robert Selph Henry. A classic! A great look at railroading as it was right at the outset of the American involvement in World War Two. Road design and building, bridge design and building, locomotive design, everything up to and including freight pricing. How much is applicable now I don't know, but it can't be that much different.
"Railroad Avenue" (1945) by Freeman Hubbard. Railroad history, lore, and legend. Full of great stories, some funny, some tragic, and some quite moving.
"The Railroad Caboose" (1962) by William Kapke. This is as close as you'll come to having a chat with and old-time railroader! Bill Knapke started railroading in the 1880's (!) as a teenager and wrote the book in 1962 at the age of 97. If I make it to 97 I hope I've got all my marbles like he did! The book is an absolute delight with caboose history and "war stories." (R)
"Casey Jones" (1940) by Fred Lee. This is interesting, Fred Lee KNEW Casey, and if nothing else the book tells you what a great guy Casey was, adds to the tragedy of his loss. A minor flaw is the book is semi-fictional, Lee made up things in Casey's background that he didn't know, but no matter, I enjoyed it. Oh, and bringing up Lucius Beebe a bit earlier than I planned, when Beebe learned Casey was lying in an unmarked grave as his family couldn't afford a decent monument Beebe paid for the stone and saw to its installation. Looks like underneath that snobby exterior beat a heart of gold. (R)
And now the dark side...
"Train Wrecks" (1968) by Robert Reed. Guess what this one's about? OK, you got it. Chaos on the main lines from the earliest dates to the 1960's. (R)
"Scalded To Death By the Steam" (1981) by Katie Letcher Lyle. A history of train wrecks and the folk songs they inspired. If you've heard the song, it's probably in there. (R)
"The Men Who Loved Trains" (2006) by Rush Loving Jr. I consider this a "dark side" book as it's about the collapse and rebirth of railroading in the Northeast. Not just a good railroad history but a good business history as well with a lot of good lessons to teach, lessons todays business leaders would do well to learn.
Moving on to railfanning...
Let's start with Lucius Beebe. Many believe that modern railfanning as we know it started with Lucius Beebe and his partner Charles Clegg. It's hard to argue with that. Beebe's prose and photography, and then Clegg's photography set the standard for railfans of the time and I believe still influence us today. OK, maybe not Beebe's prose, it's a bit much if you're not used to it, but there's nothing wrong with his photos.
Many of the Beebe and Clegg books are available as reprints, but the photo reproduction in those books leaves a lot to be desired. Try for the original releases.
I've got three, "20th Century", "The Age of Steam", and Beebe's classic "Mixed Train Daily." I got lucky, maybe you will too. By the way Beebe HATED diesels!
"Confessions Of A Trainwatcher" (1997) by David P. Morgan. If you don't know the reporting marks "DPM" let this be your intoduction. Rail writing that's hard to surpass. I THINK it's still available from Kalmbach.
"All Aboard With E.M. Frimbo, The World's Greatest Railroad Buff" (1974) by Rogers Whitaker. Rail travel tales starring E.M. Frimbo, Mr. Whitaker's alter-ego. Makes you wish you could go for a ride with him!
And for things that go chug in the night you can't beat...
"Steam, Steel, and Stars" and "The Last Steam Railroad In America" (1990's) by the maestro O. Winston Link, who's rail night photography set the bar as high as it would go.
Anything by Don Ball Jr.
And for foreign steam there's only one man, Colin Garrett. Mr. Garrett's made it his life's work to chase down operating steam around the world and his photographs are magnificent. I own several of his books and every one is superb.
And considering what time of year it is...
"All Aboard For Christmas" (2004) by Christopher Jennison. An anthology of trains at Christmas stories, real trains and toy trains, by a variety of authors from Robert Benchley to the late, lamented Curtis Katz. Have a box of tissues ready for some of them. May still be available from the publisher www.abramsbooks.com.
There's so much more to choose from, but I think I've gone on long enough.
And remember, the thrill of the hunt's half the fun!
tree68 [snipped - PDN] . . . Along the line of general/historical knowledge, though was a popular thread from a few years ago. A young lady named Nora started it. It ran for quite a while and was quite popular. The title of the thread was "Nora's Stupid Question Thread." But there were no stupid questions. The best part of the thread was that no one came into the thread telling Nora (or anyone else) that they were stupid for not having searched/researched/etc. The questions, always asked politely, were answered politely as well. . . .
The best part of the thread was that no one came into the thread telling Nora (or anyone else) that they were stupid for not having searched/researched/etc. The questions, always asked politely, were answered politely as well. . . .
It sure reads that way - although most of the posts seem to be duplicated ?!? Anyway, that's where I get to when I click on the "Stupid question thread" Search Results from that function (see below).
And thanks to the several of you who suggested to me using the Classic Trains Forum "Search Community" function. See:
http://cs.trains.com/search/default.aspx?q=%22Stupid+Question+Thread%22
I'm not sure I'm using it the best way, but it's better than nothing !
Some of my favorites in my collection:
Twilight of Steam, Ziel
Some Classic Trains, Dubin (passenger trains)
Backwoods Railroads of the West, Steinheimer (one of the best photo books ever)
When the Steam Railroads Electrified, Middleton (coverage of all electricfied lines, he also did the books Interurban Era and Time of the Trolley)
American Narrow Gauge, Krause (NG after WWII)
"Set Up Running" by John W. Orr is a great biography of PRR engineer in the days of steam. Offers a view into what it was like to live in that era and to work on those engines.
"Perfecting the American Steam Locomotive" by J Parker Lamb was good, too. It explains the history of steam engine design. Good book if you want an intro to the mechanical side of steam engines.
I don't think anyone can really develop a required/suggested reading list for a railfan. There are an infinite number of ways to approch the subject. Each person can have a different type of interest in the same subject.
Myself, I'm interested in the work the railroads do. How they aid the economy and better the living standards of the people they serve. I'm also interested in how government economic regulation hindered this work and harmed the railroads as well as the people of this nation.
To that end, and from my specific interest, I'll go with:
1) The North American Railroad: Its Origin, Evolution and Geography (Creating the North American Lanscape), by Vance
2) Anything by George W. Hilton, but especially his books on narrow gauge and interurban railroads. (You can learn a lot from failures.)
3) Southern Pacific and the Development of the American West, by Orsi.
4) American Railroads: Decline and Renaissnce in the 20th Century, by Gallamore and Meyer
5) The Chicago and Alton Railroad, by Glendinning
6) Empire Express, by Bain
7) Who Shot the Passenger Train, by D.P. Morgan
That will be the first semester.
Ken Strawbridge
A couple of authors come to mind for very informative books.
John H White wrote The American Railroad Passenger Car and The American Railroad Freight Car, the former covering the period of 1830 to 1975 and the latter 1830 to about 1910. Both go into detail about the development of the various cars and the components in those cars.
David F Myrick has several books on the Railroads of Nevada and Arizona.
I second Ken's recommendations of Vance's book and Hilton's books.
- Erik
I am very much in agreement with Ken regarding Vance and several others. It depends on what your interests are with railroading. Along with Ken, I am interested in the economics and business of railroading. That doesnt mean that a good railfanning book will be passed up.
If you really are interested in the history of railroads and geography, pickup a couple of Official Guides on Ebay or other locations (I picked up 4 this year from antique shops and old book stores....really cheap). These books (Official Guides of the Railways) are huge reference books which listed all passenger trains and the books were often 1500 pages.
Not only do the Guides list the passenger trains, but also have maps for all railroads and can be used as a reference for pre-merger railroads. All railroads are listed, even the shortest of lines. By purchasing one from the 50's, 60's, and 70's, one will have a good outline of mergers and the slow decay of the passenger train.
Another reference book is Moody's Transportation Manual. I have four from the 50's thru 80's and these really provide detailed look into the financials and assets of railroads. These are huge...often 1000 pages or more. These can be found in any college library and are also for sale on Ebay, Amazon, Abe...etc.
Loving's look at the Conrail merger is possibly my favorite non fiction book ever...it is that good. Fred Frailey has a couple of outstanding looks at freight service (Blue Streak Merchandise) and passenger (Twilight of the Great Trains).
I like the Morning Sun books on railroads/areas of interest. I havent paid full price, but lucked out by having a large stack gifted to me. At $60 each, these are expensive.
Finally, I live in a medium size community and take full advantage of the library and the inter library loan system. Books are free if within the state of Indiana and it is a great method of reading books that might be beyond the budget.
Ed
For those of us who "go back," an indispensable record of the passenger trains we loved and how we lost them is Fred Frailey's "Twilight of the Great Trains."
OvermodIn my opinion, anyone actually interested in railroading as a potential career should start with something like John Armstrong's The Railroad: What It Is, What It Does.
+1
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
oltmannd Overmod In my opinion, anyone actually interested in railroading as a potential career should start with something like John Armstrong's The Railroad: What It Is, What It Does. +1
Overmod In my opinion, anyone actually interested in railroading as a potential career should start with something like John Armstrong's The Railroad: What It Is, What It Does.
Reading back in this Thread, there are numerous really good suggestions for reading on railroad topics. Ways to add volumes to one's personal libraries ( flea markets,yard & garage sales, reilroad memorabelia and swap meets, even Internet sites; all good places to search for THAT particular book).
Giving some more thoughts to those 'searchs' Some of the video sites would also be excelent sources for all things railroads. Simply putting in a search parameter deliniating the personal interest area will bring plenty of interesting topics to enjoy. There is so much information on line, it boggles the mind.
Yesterday, I saw a post regarding the CPR's Royal Hudson #2839 in operation on the Southern Rwy's Former Steam Excursions (1970's).
I had never heard of that locomotive being in North Carolina. Googled it and found the following photo of it in Spencer,NC. in 1979 being refuled. See link @ http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=445346
YouTube.com is just loaded with all sorts of railroad videos, loaded by fans all over the world.
My favorite passtime is reading the very, few railroad books, I have here. But the Internet offers a mind boggling assortment of railroad subject topics. Just add this to the list of ways to collect and read railroad related materials.
Just for fun, I started a list of the books mentioned here. Will try to update as time goes on. More suggestions, additions or corrections are apprecited.
Train Required Reading List
petitnjJust for fun, I started a list of the books mentioned here. Will try to update as time goes on. More suggestions, additions or corrections are appreciated.
I would incorporate specific sections with the things Sam just mentioned, even if they're not "reading" per se.
More power to you! (And see if you can get Trains to link the list to the main site menu as a resource, too...)
Well, let's see what we can do.
-Steve S.
petitnj, I'm proud to see you included my suggestions in the "Required Reading List." Just one correction: "All Aboard For Christmas" isn't a childs story book, it's all adult reading matter (no risque' stuff, by the way, so relax) but there's no reason a youngster with good reading and comprehension skills wouldn't enjoy it.
Aside from that, good job on the list!
Merging Lines and it's companion volume Main Lines by Richard Saunders jr.
Metropolitan Corridor by Stillgoe.
I forgot/overlooked an important one.
My number eight would be "Organization and Traffic of the Illinois Central System". First published by the Illinois Central Railroad Company in 1938.
This was basically a training manual for their marketing (then called "Traffic") people and sales people. It has a chapter covering each general commodity (including passengers) moved by the railroad. It describes how they move it. It doesn't go in to how to fire a 2-10-2 or how to get the most ton miles per train hour out of it, but it does go in to how the movements of various things were conducted.
Covered are such areas as livestock, fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meat, LCL, coal, passengers, mail/express/baggage. Each has a seperate chapter. The electric Chicago suburban commuter service has its own chapter.
It does a great job of detailing how a railroad organized the movement of freight and people.
I have to agree if you intend to be just a fan or a professional this is a great place to understand a bit about how the industry works. But if everyone read it there would be far fewer questions on this forum!
Used to have lunch with John from time to time, for a Navy Guy he sure understood the basics of the industry, and had a great O scale model railroad as well.
Holton. Reading Railroad: History of a Coal Age Empire (two vol.)
Great history of the RR and the coal business.
Greyhound...
I agree about the Illnois Central book. I was able to pick it up a few years ago after hearing you detail it here on trains forum. It was well worth the price ($14.50).
Another similar book (a manual) is "The Station Agent's Blue Book" a 500 page instruction on the art of being a local agent. Pretty dry, but interesting reading for those who are interested in the economic history of railroading. An insite is provided on how business was conducted.
Both the IC book and the Blue book are interesting looks for me...a former "traffic guy".
Finally, a recent interest for me is the movement of mail by rail and how that completely changed railroading in the late 1960's (passenger service). Not only does Mr. Frailey's "Twilight of hte Great Trains" address this, but a book by Edward DeRouin provides a look at that lost aspect of railroading. Again...good stuff for a "traffic guy".
I also enjoyed two looks at the western railroads:
"Leaders Count, The Story of the BNSF Railroad" by Lawrence Kaufman and "Union Pacific, The Reconfiguration:..." by Maury Klein.
Leaders Count looks at CEOs of BNSF and the preceeding lines while Klein's book is Vol 3 of a massive history of the UP (covering late 1960s thru 2010). Both give detailed insite into the structuring of the west (how the west was won).
I would love a more detailed look at the east, perhaps "The Men Who Loved Trains" is it for now. On my wish list would be a detailed look at the relationship between truckers and railroads, particularly JBH, UPS, and the LTL carriers such as YRC.
One can wish.
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